Straight Talk: How to avoid rental scams while planning a party
Planning a party? If you need to rent chairs, decorations, a bouncy house, or any other supplies, take extra caution when searching for rentals. BBB Scam Tracker continues to receive reports of party hosts being tricked by rentals that do not materialize.
How the scam works
You are planning a party and need to rent supplies. You do a web or social media search and find a few options. For example, you may find a legitimate website with a convenient online booking system. Or you might message someone through a social media account that seems professional. Either way, the “vendor” promises to reserve your rental for the date you need it – if you pay a deposit first. They may also require you to fill out a contact form with your personal details.
The date of your party arrives, and your rental tent, furniture, or other supplies do not arrive. At this point, the “vendor” may tell you they ran into an emergency and cannot deliver on their promise. However, the scammers will disappear completely when you ask for your money back. Other times, you cannot contact the rental company at all. For example, if you originally contacted the vendor on social media, they may have blocked you or deleted their account.
One consumer reported this experience to BBB Scam Tracker: “We hired [company name redacted] and [name redacted] to rental items for our son’s wedding. We paid her $1,592.24 on January 14, 2023 for these items to rent. She has since ghosted us, closed her business and is non-responsive. We are now having to hurry up and find new items for the wedding to rent.”
How to avoid rental scams
• Do your research before you rent. Take a good look at the rental company’s website and ensure it has accurate contact information. Then, read consumer reviews about the company on third-party websites, such as BBB.org. Also, search the business name plus the word “scam” to ensure you don’t find any reports of fraudulent business dealings. You can also look up the business on BBB Scam Tracker to see if any recent reports have been filed by other consumers.
• Think twice when renting from listings only advertised on social media. If the rental business only contacts you and facilitates the rental transaction through social media and refuses to talk on the phone or in person, that is another red flag.
• Be wary of people who contact you on messaging apps. Legitimate businesses may use messaging apps to interact with you, but it is unlikely they will initiate a conversation and contact you out of the blue in this way. Ensure the business has a website and working contact information.
• Be careful with your personal details. You may need to fill out a contract with personal information, but ensure you are dealing with a legitimate, professional company before handing over personal and financial information.
• Review your contract. It is common to have a contract in place when you order rentals from a company. Review your contract carefully and ensure that your delivery date and time are accurate, as well as the final cost and payment details. Save a copy of the contract that is signed and dated by both you and the company.
• Consider how the company is asking you to provide payment. Oftentimes, scammers will ask you to provide payment through a digital wallet app or a wire transfer. Do not ever hand over money or your payment information to a stranger. If you do pay, remember that it is much easier to dispute fraudulent charges using your credit card. If you pay with a debit card, digital wallet, or cash, you may not get your money back if you find out you were scammed.
FOR MORE INFORMATION – Get BBB advice on planning a wedding or renting a venue for your next party at BBB.org/wedding. If you spot a party rental scam or any other kind of scam, report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker to help build consumer awareness.
FOR BBB INFORMATION – Visit BBB.org or call us at 330-454-9401 to look up a business, file a complaint, write a customer review, read tips, find our events, follow us on social media, and more!
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: BBB explains how to avoid party rental scams
